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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28814448">Stray Cat Strut, Chat Noir Style</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheCatsJoinIn/pseuds/AllTheCatsJoinIn'>AllTheCatsJoinIn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angry Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Angst, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Miraculous AU, Neglect, Not Canon Compliant, Sexual Harassment, Slow Burn, redemption arc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:08:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,298</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28814448</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheCatsJoinIn/pseuds/AllTheCatsJoinIn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This AU tells the story of Adrien Agreste, an angry, spoiled, and neglected/abused young man with a heart of gold, and how he becomes a true hero and finds his own salvation.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, nor any of the original characters or concepts from the show.  I just like to play in their world.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Warning: there will be a lot of anger, angst, some dysfunctional relationships and behaviors, and some inappropriate language in this story.  Read at your own risk.</p>
<p>This story is still being written and tags and warnings will be updated as we go along - please check them for any additional warnings that might need to be added!</p>
<p>The portrayal of Adrien on this show bothers me more than a little, though of course I love the sunshine child.  Granted he’s socially sheltered and a super nice guy, but seriously, there are so many reasons why it’s hard for me to accept his character in this show: his mother disappears without warning or explanation just as he’s entering into his teenage years when he will most need strong loving adult guidance, and from that point on he’s emotionally abused and neglected by his angry and distant father, the only family he has left to whom he has regular access; his schedule is ridiculous and exhausting with zero freedom or choice; he’s always under a ton of pressure and regularly receives negative feedback from people who are supposed to care for him; while growing up his example of ‘normal’ behavior for a kid his age is Chloé; he’s rich and spoiled and can buy or is given anything material that he wants; and to top it all off, he’s now being mentored by the freaking God of Destruction… It’s really hard for me to picture him being such a cinnamon roll under the circumstances, even if he was a naturally good person with a heart of gold.  He’d basically have to be a saint or completely spineless to keep acting the way he does in the show (and obviously Chat Noir is not lacking bravery), and even then, some of the things he innately seems to understand about social norms and behavior when he starts school just seem unlikely given his backstory and upbringing.  I think, even if he was kind at heart, it would be almost impossible for most people to see it underneath the veneer of what he’s been taught by Chloé (and hasn’t had a chance to learn is wrong), rich and spoiled assumptions and behaviors, and how any normal teenage boy would be acting out under these circumstances.  This is the redemption arc for the Adrien I envisioned when I started really thinking about all of this.   Buckle up, it’s going to take a while!  These characters are also aged up a bit (starting high school, not junior high) because, selfishly, a lot of the aspects of the show applied to children that young skeeve me out.  I don’t want to write about emotionally abused soulmate babies who probably have PTSD.  In this version, they are 15/16 (starting age for lycée in France), and Adrien’s mom disappeared two years ago.  Marinette is going to be a little different in this as well, but I’m envisioning less actual OoC, more that she doesn’t respond to or view Adrien/Chat the same way because he’s very OoC compared to the show.  I’ve also taken some literary license to add a bit of a different interpretation of the Guardian and the Kwamis and their powers, though I’ve tried to stay pretty close to the show.  This story is not canon compliant, so there will also be some other small details that I take liberties with for the sake of the plot (for example, in this version, Marinette meets all the members of the Akuma class for the first time in lycée).  As the title implies, this story is focused on Adrien, but we will be getting other PoVs as well.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>               Master Fu exhaled slowly and opened his eyes, stretching his back to work out the cramps.  Wayzz, his Kwami, floated in front of him, one of his little green appendages touching the small black cat-like Kwami floating next to him.  Plagg opened slitted green eyes and yawned, showing off small needle-sharp canines.  The turtle and cat Kwamis eyed each other for a minute before turning to regard Fu impassively.  After a short silent deliberation, Fu cracked first. </p>
<p>               “Are you sure, Plagg?” he demanded, looking worried.  “I agree his soul shows he has the potential to be a great holder, but he is so damaged, and in so much emotional pain.  This could amplify the problem a thousand-fold instead of providing the solution.”</p>
<p>               Plagg regarded him solemnly for a moment before nodding and pointing out, “The greater the risk, the greater the reward.  The holders of the Black Cat Miraculous are always damaged in some way – they wouldn’t be compatible with destruction otherwise.  His pain does not define him, yet, and he is very strong.  If he could find his balance, with a little <em>luck</em>, he could be exactly what we need.”</p>
<p>               Master Fu stroked his beard and then nodded reluctantly, pulling off the ring and putting it into a black box with an elaborate red lacquered design on the lid without further fanfare.  Plagg disappeared, and Fu and Wayzz breathed a small sigh of relief before Fu stood to cross the room.  Punching a code into the small hidden panel in his gramophone, he waited while it twisted open to reveal the Miracle Box.  He smiled at Wayzz as he pulled out the Ladybug earrings, immediately feeling more relaxed at the comforting aura emitted by the little red bug-like Kwami that appeared.</p>
<p>               “Hello, Tikki,” he greeted her, smiling.  “Are you ready to find your next holder?”</p>
<p>               Tikki smiled excitedly and did a little loop in the air.  “Have you already picked Plagg’s next kitten?” she asked energetically.</p>
<p>               Wayzz and Fu exchanged another loaded glance and nodded, motioning back to the meditation area.  They resettled themselves, and Wayzz reached out to Tikki to complete the connection.  They all closed their eyes, and Fu concentrated on the soul they’d found, Plagg’s new chosen.</p>
<p>               A moment later, Tikki exhaled heavily and whispered, “Oh boy, we’ve got our work cut out for us this time, don’t we?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>               The beeping of his alarm brought Adrien out of a dark dream where the walls of his room were slowly closing in on him while he screamed for help that never arrived.  He shuddered, running a strong but elegant, manicured hand through his wild blond locks, and sat up in bed.  The silk sheets slipped down his thin but muscular, lightly tanned torso, framing a body that had been featured on billboards, and in magazines and digital advertisements all over Paris for years.  His brilliant green eyes cracked open and he groaned, wishing for once that his alarm had gone off even earlier and interrupted that truly horrifying nightmare.  He’d been having trouble sleeping ever since his mother had gone missing with no explanation two years before.  While he’d asked to go to therapy a few times, his father always denied him, claiming that it would destroy his image as one of Paris’ most popular teen heartthrobs if anyone found out that the ‘great Adrien Agreste’ was seeing a psychologist.  Adrien rolled his eyes.  His father’s great weakness was his company, the fashion brand Gabriel.  It was his baby, far more than Adrien had ever been, and he would go to great lengths to protect it.  As the somewhat unwilling main model and face of the brand, that gave Adrien an advantage he’d long since learned to exploit mercilessly against his stubborn asshat of a gene donor.</p>
<p>               They’d been butting heads constantly ever since his mother Emilie disappeared, and without anyone around to intervene or mediate these conflicts, it had gotten ugly more than once.  While Gabriel had never hit him (yet), he had locked him in his room on more than one occasion, and tried taking away his electronics, shutting off his wifi, and other horrific isolationist techniques to bend Adrien to his will.  However, Adrien had learned that he could usually hold out instead of giving in – these attempts never lasted long, because his increasingly agoraphobic, reclusive father was stuck relying on his son to represent him at company events, fashion shows, and press conferences more and more.  Gabriel had always been a loner, even back when his wife was around to pull him out of his office to spend time with them, but since she’d vanished it had escalated severely to the point that it was becoming almost impossible for him to appear and function normally in public.  While Adrien might have been kind and understanding about this if it had happened a few years ago, with how his father had taken to treating him, Adrien had reached a point where he had no compunction about exploiting his father’s weakness for Adrien’s own gain.  As a result, the balance of power in their relationship was slowly shifting, and Adrien had finally obtained enough of it to force his father to allow him to start attending lycée with his childhood friend Chloé, the daughter of the Mayor of Paris, instead of continuing to be home-schooled.</p>
<p>               His first day was today, which might have been what prompted the nightmare.  Maybe his subconscious was still waiting for his father to engage the locks and trap him in his room again, but Adrien knew logically he wouldn’t dare.  He’d already announced on social media days ago that he would be attending the small private high school, and had asked his fans for privacy and some space.  While he knew it was a risky move since it attracted more attention to his movements, between his bodyguard and the very extensive security of the private school, he was hoping it wouldn’t be an issue.  And now that it was on social media and people including Chloé were expecting him to show up, it would be very suspicious if he didn’t.  Actually he probably didn’t even need the social pressure; his childhood friend was kind of a brat, and would have no hesitation in pitching a fit to her father to get Adrien to show up if Gabriel tried to stop him at this point.  He huffed an affectionate laugh, imagining her shrill voice yelling “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” as she stomped her pointy three-inch designer heel and glared at the Mayor of Paris.  That man may have been one of the most powerful in Paris, but he was helpless against the least whim of his only child, and would capitulate in the face of her anger immediately and do whatever it took to make her happy again.  While never getting told ‘no’ was probably not healthy for his friend, he’d envied her that relationship more than once; he’d take that over his callous, angry, withdrawn parental unit any day.</p>
<p>               Crawling out of bed, he made his way into the shower, going through his extensive morning maintenance routine automatically while he pondered the day ahead.  Nathalie had laid out his clothes in advance as she always did.  The face of Gabriel was never allowed to pick out his own clothes; who knows, if left to his own devices, he might do something truly horrifying, like grab something from last season’s line from the back of his closet.  Never mind that his entire closet was designer, just about everything from Gabriel, and was all carefully arranged and coordinated so that choosing something inappropriate was almost impossible.  He snorted, fighting the temptation to pull out a cheap, poorly-fitting hoodie from his hidden stash in the back of the closet, just to see the horrified look on his father’s face when pictures of him wearing it on the first day of school appeared on every news outlet.  Chuckling evilly, he forced the impulse down, knowing that would definitely get his school privileges revoked. </p>
<p>               Walking in front of the full-length mirror in his closet, he checked his appearance one last time before leaving.  He flexed, watching the way his muscles moved under the black cashmere short-sleeved shirt striped with navy blue and yellow lines, and the crisp white collared over shirt he left unbuttoned, sleeves rolled to the elbows.  Turning, he checked to be sure his wallet was sitting correctly in his dark wash skinny jeans, and adjusted the waistline of his jeans slightly.  Nodding, he slicked down his shining fair hair a bit more, frowning at the couple strands that wanted to brush down on his forehead no matter what he did with them.  One of the teen magazines had commented that they made him look ‘soft’ and ‘sweet’, which was not really the image of strength he wanted to project for his first day of school.  All of his lessons in social interactions from the last few years of modeling and his friendship with Chloé had strongly reinforced that the strong survived and the weak were eaten alive.</p>
<p>               Slinging his expensive leather bag over his shoulder, he made a mocking, bored face in the mirror, similar to the one Chloé adopted whenever she was in public.  Stalking out of his room, he met with Nathalie in the foyer to get his schedule.  Luckily, he didn’t have a photo-shoot today, just school, fencing, then a few hours for homework, dinner alone in his room as usual, and two more hours to relax before bed.  He sighed, but then firmed his expression.  He was going to school.  With people his own age.  It had to be better than sitting in his room alone all day with dusty tutors.</p>
<p>               Sliding into the back of the luxurious town car, he nodded to his driver/bodyguard that he was ready to go.  The ride was silent, and he tried not to let it wear on his nerves, repeating to himself that he would be fine, just fine.  Chloé might be a brat, but she was loyal, and she’d be there.  What could go wrong?</p>
<p>               There was a crush of reporters outside the school, but once they were through the wrought iron gates, it was calm and quiet in the drop-off lane.  He breathed a sigh of relief, sliding out and nodding quickly at his bodyguard when he waved before pulling away.</p>
<p>               The school loomed before him, quietly imposing with its elegant light-colored stone and brick buildings lightly decorated with ivy.  He crossed his fingers in his pocket, hoping that he might be lucky enough to make some friends while he was here.</p>
<p>               As he was walking towards the stairs, he noticed a flash of green and turned, watching it disappear down a small footpath next to the main building.  He had a few minutes and he felt a strange compulsion to follow it and see what it was.  Frowning he fought against it briefly, wondering why he would want to wander away on the unfamiliar campus right before class started, but then gave in to his curiosity. </p>
<p>                 Walking beneath the trees, he shivered at the sudden drop in temperature.  Coming around a bend, he almost tripped over an old man sprawled on the path, groaning.  Adrien saw a cane just out of reach.  He reached down and gently helped the shorter man up, handing him his cane. </p>
<p>               “Thank you, young man,” the gray-haired Chinese elder said, clapping him on the back with a surprisingly firm gesture.</p>
<p>               Adrien blinked at him and nodded, a little nonplussed, but then smiled.  “Of course.  Watch out on your walk, there may be more roots on the path.”</p>
<p>               The old man nodded and watched Adrien return down the path, chuckling under his breath and thinking that perhaps the grumpy cat was right after all.</p>
<p>               Adrien finally made it up the steps to where he’d agreed to wait for Chloé, still with a few minutes to spare before the first bell.  He pulled out his phone to check if she’d sent him any messages, but before he could unlock it a small form slammed straight into his solar plexus at top speed.</p>
<p>               He let out a loud exclamation as they toppled to the ground, automatically catching the smaller person on top of his larger frame.  Knocking his elbow harshly on the ground and dropping his phone with an ominously loud bang, he let out a sound of annoyance.  “Watch where you’re going!  Geez what are you, blind?” he demanded before finally looking up and going immediately silent.  The petite dark-haired girl lying on top of him gazed back at him like a deer in the headlights for a moment with the largest, prettiest sky-blue eyes he’d ever seen in a sweet, heart-shaped face framed by luxurious waves of blue-black hair. She quickly recovered and suddenly flushed a fetching shade of pink, scrambling inelegantly off of him.  She started babbling apologies, handing him his phone, and then rushed off.  He tried to force something out past the strange constriction in his throat, to stop her and assure her that it was all right, but he couldn’t speak for the life of him.</p>
<p>               A shrill, annoyed voice broke through his reverie.  “Ugh, who was that?  Geez, maybe this school isn’t as exclusive as I thought.  Sorry Adrikins, are you okay?”</p>
<p>               He nodded silently, forcing a smile at his friend.  Chloé grabbed his hand and helped him up, then looped her arm through his, turning him so they could walk in together.  She looked just as put together as always, which of course everyone expected of the only daughter of the highly successful and famous fashion critic Audrey Bourgeois and André Bourgeois, the Mayor of Paris.  The yellow and blue stripes on his black shirt coordinated with her designer outfit, white skinny jean capris and a white and yellow striped silk shirt with a navy blue and yellow short-sleeved cashmere cardigan, and he wondered if she’d planned that with Nathalie in advance.    </p>
<p>               Over the last year, Chloé had made it clear that she wanted to be more than just his friend.  He’d toyed with the idea from sheer loneliness a few times, but he knew he’d never viewed her that way, and that if he gave in to her it would end up wrecking their friendship.  Adrien had told her he thought of her as a sister more than once, but Chloé was nothing if not persistent.  Sighing, he realized it was likely she was going to try her hardest to make sure that everyone in this school viewed him as taken.  At this rate, he’d never get a girlfriend, and Chloé would never move on. </p>
<p>               Pushing that problem to the back of his brain to mull over later, he quickly scanned the classroom as they entered together.  A short copper-haired girl waved enthusiastically from the front of the room and Chloé acknowledged her with a languid hand before walking over.  The girl immediately started gushing.</p>
<p>               “Hi Chloé!  Wow, you guys look so awesome together, just like the perfect power couple!”</p>
<p>               Adrien caught Chloé eyeing him hopefully in his peripheral vision and had to stifle a laugh.  Subtlety was not one of Chloé’s strengths.  “Hello…” he greeted, waiting for her name.</p>
<p>               “Sabrina,” she offered brightly, holding out her hand while her cheeks turned red, but then quickly withdrawing it before he could shake it when Chloé huffed in offense.</p>
<p>               “Adrien,” he said in return, flashing his model smile at her and watching as her cheeks went from pink to tomato. </p>
<p>               “Oh, I know,” she gushed enthusiastically, “Chloé has been talking nonstop about…” Chloé coughed and Sabrina suddenly stuttered, recovering, “I mean, she mentioned in passing that you’d be coming to school with us this year.  Welcome!” she finished brightly, before looking away and pulling bags off of the seat she’d been saving.  “Here Chloé, I saved your seat!”</p>
<p>               Chloé rolled her eyes, ignoring the way Sabrina’s face fell, and replied, “Sabrina, obviously I’m sitting with my Adrikins.  Move.”</p>
<p>               Adrien hesitated, torn between sitting with his friend and confirming the impression she’d just given everyone that they were dating, or risking sitting next to someone new.  He sighed and put out a hand towards Sabrina, waving her back into her seat.  “Sabrina, it’s okay.  I probably shouldn’t sit next to Chloé anyway; I wouldn’t want to distract her with all this,” he teased, striking a dramatic pose and winking at her with a sultry expression.  As expected, Chloé turned red and started spluttering, and he made his escape quickly, turning away with a snicker only to catch a slightly disgusted expression on the face of the gorgeous girl who’d smacked into him earlier.  She was sitting in the second row, a squashed, empty box of macaroons in front of her, next to a girl with orange-red hair and glasses.  Before he could smile, she turned away from him to talk to the girl next to her, and he noticed there was another empty seat in front of her.  Approaching, he cleared his throat nervously and eyed the guy with big orange headphones sharing the seat.  The guy didn’t take them off, but after a minute of eye contact he shrugged unenthusiastically and waved at the free seat, indicating that Adrien could sit.  Adrien nodded quietly and shucked off his bags, sliding onto the bench before Chloé could recover and pull him away.  He could hear her fuming, but avoided eye contact by digging around in his bag until the teacher showed up.</p>
<p>               His classes looked like they were going to be pretty low stress; he was ahead in every subject thanks to his private tutors, so maintaining acceptable grades should be a piece of cake, even with his crazy schedule.  The 'dude' next to him, whose name was Nino, had thawed over the course of the morning as they made small talk and he found out that Adrien was home-schooled, and Chloé was his only friend.  Nino seemed to decide at that point that Adrien needed more friends, something he couldn’t disagree with; while he hated the pity that seemed to drive Nino’s offer, he couldn’t really argue with it either.  He did warn Nino in advance that his father would probably do his best to prevent him from actually getting to hang out outside of class, but that only seemed to cement Nino’s determination to befriend him.  It actually made him smile, reminding him of something he might have done back when his mother was around, if he’d actually been allowed to have friends his own age, before he became cynical and disillusioned.  He tried to silence the small voice in the back of his mind wondering what Nino wanted from him, hoping it was wrong. </p>
<p>               All morning he’d resolutely ignored the temptation to turn around and glance at the cute girl behind him.  Instead, he listened as she made friends easily with her seatmate.  Adrien learned that her name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, her flowing dark tresses were probably from her half Chinese ancestry, her parents ran a popular bakery, Tom and Sabine’s, that was not very far from their school, that she was smart and usually got good grades, she loved fashion and wanted to be a fashion designer when she grew up, she was at his school on a partial scholarship thanks to her grades and a contest she’d entered for the Arts Department, and she had the sweetest, bubbliest laugh he’d ever heard. </p>
<p>               He blushed as the lunch bell rang, realizing that Nino had been trying to get his attention and he had been tuning him out in favor of listening to Marinette chat with her new friend Alya.  Nino flashed him a mischievous glance before spinning around in his seat, making eye contact with Alya.</p>
<p>               “Hey Als, want to go to lunch with us?” he asked, grinning.  “Why don’t the four of us go grab something?  You can introduce us to your friend.”  Raising his eyes, he jutted his chin at Marinette and smiled invitingly.</p>
<p>               Marinette blushed a little but offered her hand.  “Hi, I’m Marinette.”</p>
<p>               Nino shook her hand casually and replied, “Nino Lahiffe, DJ extraordinaire.”</p>
<p>               She giggled and answered, “Nice to meet you, Mr. DJ.”</p>
<p>               He grinned and wriggled his eyebrows at Alya, who rolled her eyes.  Adrien wondered how long Alya and Nino had known each other; they seemed to have a comfortable rapport.  Nino turned to Adrien and gestured, “This here is my bro, Adrien Agreste.”</p>
<p>               “The face that launched a thousand ads,” Marinette replied a little drily, nodding at him with a small uncertain smile.</p>
<p>               Adrien barked a laugh, surprised.  Apparently, he hadn’t made such a good impression so far.  Drat.  “Hello, clumsy girl,” he teased, grinning at her.  Marinette flushed and frowned, and he realized he’d struck the wrong tone.  He was about to apologize when his arm was grabbed and Chloé dragged him ungracefully out of his seat.</p>
<p>               “Come on Adrikins,” Chloé sang out, pulling him along behind her out of the class before he could argue.  He snorted watching Sabrina quickly grab his stuff and trail behind them, handing his bag to him.  “Nathalie agreed that I could take you out to lunch at Daddy’s hotel.  Let’s go!”</p>
<p>               Sighing, he wiggled his arm out of hers but followed her to her car, watching wistfully as Nino, Alya and Marinette made their way out of the school casually chatting and laughing.  Apparently his freedom only extended so far.</p>
<p>               They ate at their usual table, joined by Sabrina, and Adrien mostly listened in silence as Chloé made fun of everyone else in the class, mocking their appearance.  He scowled when she got to Marinette though.</p>
<p>               “And oh my God, did you see her outfit?  Ugh, she’s probably so poor she has to make her own clothes.” Chloé sneered, completely ignoring the fact that Marinette’s fitted pink cotton sundress with black lace accents, paired with pink-lined black lace leggings and black ballet flats had been tasteful, extremely flattering, and well-made, in favor of noticing that she wasn’t wearing Gucci or Prada. </p>
<p>               Adrien interrupted the tirade before she could continue, recognizing that if she started insulting Marinette’s appearance, he might lose his temper.  “That’s enough Chloé,” he said firmly, trying not to scowl at her.  “Why are we talking about them anyway, when we could be talking about Fashion Week?”</p>
<p>               He smiled as Chloé lit up, recognizing that his distraction had worked as anticipated, and listened to her rattle on about different designers and things she was looking forward to for the rest of lunch with very little need for prompting on his part.  Sometimes, being Chloé’s friend was very relaxing, when he just wanted company without needing to share anything himself.  She was more than capable of talking enough for both of them.</p>
<p>               Heading back from lunch, he spotted his seatmate talking with Marinette and Alya.  They were all still smiling brightly, and looked cozy together, chatting and teasing like they’d all known each other for years, instead of making Marinette’s acquaintance that morning.  Adrien envied Marinette her apparent ability to draw people to her with just her bright personality.  While he’d never had a hard time talking to people, he’d recognized over the years that when people were friendly towards him, more often than not it was because they thought they could use him, rather than because they really liked him.  It was even true for Chloé to some extent; while he knew she did care about him, she also enjoyed the prestige and positive press she got when she attended events as his plus one, and he’d wondered cynically more than once if she’d still be as attached to him if he was a nobody.  He was never able to answer that question to his satisfaction, one of many reasons they weren’t dating.</p>
<p>               As they were all heading into school, an upperclassman stepped in front of Marinette, grinning.  She looked up at him innocently, and he smirked, leaning over to look down the front of her dress.  She blushed bright red and stepped back, but ran into another boy who’d side-stepped behind her.</p>
<p>               “What’s your rush, ma petite souris?” he asked, gabbing her hips with his thumbs grazing the top of her ass.  She gasped and jumped, trying to get away, but he just squeezed his hands onto her tighter, making her yelp.  Adrien saw red, and the next thing he knew, his fist was connecting with the boy’s face as he yelled, “Get your hands off her!”</p>
<p>               The boy snarled and drew his hand back into a fist, but before he could retaliate, Chloé’s driver, Jean-Luc, grabbed him and put him in a headlock.  The other boy ran off in the commotion.  Adrien and Jean-Luc dragged the resisting boy inside to the principal’s office.  A security guard entered soon after and the boy, whose name was apparently Victor, settled down, glaring sullenly at them until they were ushered into the office.  He immediately started proclaiming his innocence, but luckily that didn’t hold up under the weight of the version of events related by everyone else who was there.  The Principal, Mr. Damocles, announced that Victor would be suspended for a week, with the additional requirement that he write an apology letter to Marinette.  Adrien had argued that he should be reported to the police for sexual harassment, but Marinette had refused, stating that she was sure he had learned his lesson, and that she didn’t want to get him in more trouble.</p>
<p>               Adrien approached Marinette as they were leaving, hoping to see if she was all right, but as soon as she saw him approaching a scared look crossed her face and she walked away quickly.  He sighed, disappointed.  So much for first impressions.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As you're no doubt noticed, I changed a few things here.  In this version, Marinette and Adrien are both new this year, with most of the rest of the main cast of students already acquainted from having gone to school together previously.  As a reminder, this version is aged up so they are in high school. <br/> Marinette is still awkward, but she's had a few more years to mature and get her act together, and Adrien's naivete is long gone, along with his innocence and belief in the innate goodness of humanity.<br/>Adrien has some anger issues he definitely needs to work through...<br/>Sorry this is off to a bit of a slow start.  I was originally going to have the first Akuma attack in this chapter, but it felt like we needed more exposition to work up to this, and it was already pretty long!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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